A blog devoted to the study and preservation of cemeteries, transcriptions of tombstones,Grave Markers,Memorial Plaques, War Memorials, Burial Customs and other such items that are memorials and deserve to be recorded.

Pages

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

A Marriage in Gretna Green, Scotland

Quite recently I spotted this postcard and was immediately intrigued. Was this a case of young forbidden love, rushing across the border to tie the knot? The genealogist in me had to have a little poke about to see if I could identify anything about this couple. I know, but I could not help it!

A search of Ancestry.co.uk revealed that the couple Olive Emily RIDSDEL and Hector Graeme MAPPIN married in Billericay Essex in the June Quarter of 1929. Which implies that the couple married in Scotland at Gretna in April and married again in Essex in England in June of the same year. I say married in Scotland on the basis that this feels a little more than a young romantic gesture as the card indicates witnesses and the name of the priest was completed and is shown to be Jessie Rennison. Was one of the couple, or perhaps both, under age in England, but free to marry in Scotland in April then the individual had a birthday and was then of age to marry in England. Was perhaps Hector in the services and stationed in Scotland? I comment on this because it was quite common for servicemen to marry twice, as they had to have the permission of their commanding officer.

A look at the 1911 Census reveals the following and does show that in 1929 Olive would have been 20 and therefore under age to have married. It also reveals that her parents had been married for 5 years at the time of the 1911 Census.

Name

Relation

Condition/Yrs married

Sex

Age

BirthYear

Occupation

Where Born

Originalcensusimage

RIDSDEL, Ernest Bramwell

Head

Married

M

29

1882

Secretary To Limited Company

Nottingham N K

RIDSDEL, Lilian Ethel

Wife

Married
5 years

F

30

1881

Hebdon Bridge Yorkshire

RIDSDEL, Olive Emily

Daughter

F

1

1910

Bramhall Cheshire

RIDSDEL, William Bramwell

Son

M

1

1910

Bramhall Cheshire

SILVESTER, Helen Louisa

Single

F

20

1891

General Servant Domestic

Virginia Water Surrey

RG number:
RG14

Piece:
3682

Reference:
RG14PN3682 RG78PN138 RD42 SD2 ED29 SN144

Registration District:
Bromley

Sub District:
Beckenham

Enumeration District:
29

Parish:
Beckenham

Address:
171 Venner Road Sydenham

County:
Kent

I wondered where Olive's father was going to be in the 1901 Census. With a distinctive name he was fairly easy to find and was in 1901 located in London, is a boarder with a Salvation Army family and himself is recorded as an Salvation Army Officer and is aged 19 years.

UK Census 1901 London

A further search revealed that Ernest married Lilian Ethel Spencer in 1906 which is confirmed by the 1911 Census details. Usually the Spouses last name is not given for marriages prior to 1912, but a search does reveal that the surname of his bride is Spencer.

Name:

RIDSDEL, Ernest Brsmwell

Registration District: Help

Macclesfield

County:

Cheshire

Year of Registration:

1906

Quarter of Registration:

Apr-May-Jun

Spouse's last name:

Not available before 1912

Volume No: Help

8A

Page No: Help

329

In order to be consistent I had a quick look for Lilian Ethel Spencer in the 1901 Census and here she is with her parents and siblings. There was no obvious signs if Lilian's family were also involved in the Salvation Army, but her father had a business in Yorkshire.

UK Census 1901 Hebden Bridge Yorkshire

The research which reveals that there is an Salvation Army influence may well be one of the root causes of why there was two marriages, plus the additional issue that Olive was just under the official age limit to marry freely. I wonder if her parents knew that she had married prior to the event in Essex? A quick glimpse reveals that they at least had one daughter born in 1930 and a son a few years later.

I am going to enjoy the card for a little while, before seeing if I can reunite the card with the family. I did a quick Google search to see if that revealed any one researching the family or linked directly to the family. I was therefore very surprised to see the following newspaper article from the Singapore Newspaper, The Straits Times 22nd May 1929

Page 12

There was a further newspaper article in the Miami Post for 8th July 1929, which shows an earlier link between the families, and the rather fun personalities of the pair.

Yes, a wonderful story, I also come across this postcard, and like yourself I had to do some digging.Olive was an 19-years-old heiress from Essex, and Hector was 18 years, an undergraduate at Pembroke College Cambridge.There was lots of publicity, and the police had been involved. Believing the marriage was not legal, the couple remarried on the 2nd May 1929 at Brentwood Register Office, Essex.The marriage did not last, and both remarried in 1945, Hector died in 1960, and Olive in 1992.

About Me

I am a Surrey girl, who is very proud of her roots, which go back almost 300 years in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. I currently live in the West Country of England, but Surrey is always home! I am also half Italian and thus have an interest in Italian culture and genealogy.

After a career in pharmacy management spanning more than 20 years, I made the decision to look at my options as to where my professional life was heading. I wanted to expand my work portfolio within the training and writing arena; to utilise my historical and research skills along with other qualifications and years of experience. I created The Book of Me, Written by You back in the Autumn of 2012. It threads together the focus of my interests and qualifications. Enabling me to encourage others to think beyond the obvious as we analyse our own lives and those of our close family members.

Copyright

The material, both written and photographic on these pages is the copyright of Julie Goucher & Anglers Rest unless stated. Material on this site may be used for personal reference only. If you wish to use any of the material on this site for other means, please seek the written permission of Julie Goucher & Anglers Rest.